


Fixed in a Tangible Form

by rhyfel



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Copyright, Gen, Good Person Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Self-Hatred, Theft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27391234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhyfel/pseuds/rhyfel
Summary: His agent talks a lot about next steps and moving forward and royalties and which label is best for their – his – sound and Bobby nods in all the right places and lets their dream happen to him.Trevor Wilson indisputably stole Luke Patterson's songs in 1995. Here's one reason why.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 47





	Fixed in a Tangible Form

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the US Copyright Office.
> 
> Yes, really.
> 
> https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html

Four months after the guys die, Bobby is sitting in their – his – agent’s office. He’d put it off as long as possible before realizing they weren’t coming back. Which was _dumb, of course they weren’t coming back._ But most mornings he’d wake up and think it was just a bad dream, or forget and wonder when rehearsal was, or start heading towards the studio before realizing no one would be there.

So when Peter calls and says he _needs_ to come in to talk about next steps or he’ll drop him, Bobby drags himself out of his house and sits through a meeting that the other guys should have been there for but now they’ll never get the chance. Peter talks a lot about next steps and moving forward and royalties and which label is best for their – _his –_ sound and Bobby nods in all the right places and lets their dream happen to him. And then at the end, Peter says “Any questions?” And Bobby does have one. One he’d been thinking about since he went to three funerals. Watched three families bury kids they didn’t understand or deserve or _love_ the way Bobby did.

“Yeah.” Bobby says and turns to look out the window, not wanting to see the condemnation he’s sure will be on Peter’s face when he asks this question. “If a minor wrote songs, and then, and then they died,” he swallows around the lump in his throat, “would their parents be able to claim the money they make?” Bobby glances quickly at Peter who looks pensive, then back out at the window. A crow is on a billboard outside and if Bobby lies to himself, he can pretend it’s a sign from one of the guys that he’s doing the right thing.

“That’s not an easy question.” Peter says with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. “They may be able to claim some of it, but we could certainly make it a fight. It wouldn’t look good for either side, though.” The crow outside is hopping back and forth across and Bobby thinks about Alex’s runway walk. “It would be better to settle than let it go to court,” Peter continues, “Of course you would still get your money no matter what, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

Bobby thinks about Luke hiding out in their studio, writing a song for a mother who drove him away. Thinks about how everything he owned could fit in a backpack. About the way he’d start crying during rehearsals or, even worse, the days he wouldn’t even play, he’d just lay on the couch staring at the ceiling. Or how Reggie would shrink in on himself when people got too loud. How he’d edge behind one of the others when faced with angry authority figures and spent more time away from his house than in it. And he thinks about how Alex – even after years of the guys supporting him – still instinctively denied crushes. About how they had to constantly reassure him that they loved him and wanted him to be _happy_.

“No, that’s not what I’m concerned about,” Bobby finally replies. Bobby takes a breath, knowing that once he says the words, he won’t be able to take them back. The crow outside is staring at him, bobbing its head in a nod. He says, “How do I make sure their families don’t get anything?” and hates himself.

He doesn’t think he’ll ever stop.

**Author's Note:**

> This story brought to you by my seething hatred of copyright law and Luke “It’s not like any of us were that close to our families” Patterson.


End file.
